Business Meets Chess & Kids

Join our online charity tournament on October 4!

Pontus — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 15:51:57 +0000

On October 4 between 11.30am and 2.30pm we will organize a big charity tournament online on chess.com. It will be an individual tournament with 6 rounds of 10 minute games. The tournament is in favor of children engaged in our programs and the players will be a mix of some of them and adult supporters from the whole world. The tournament is open for everyone that likes to play chess and the starting fee is a donation to the children. The Tournament will be broadcasted with GM commentaries. All levels are welcome

Donate: here

Chess changed Cassidy´s life!

Pontus — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 15:15:31 +0000

For 15 year old Elizabeth Cassidy from Kitale in Kenya, chess have been a big game changer in her life. Elizabeth comes from humble conditions but has not let it stop her on her rise towards the top. She is a Women Fide Master (WFM) and both African and Kenyan Champion under 16. Last week she also announced herself on the African Junior stage by bagging home a historic Silver medal at the African Youth Chess Championships under 20 that was held in Bujumbura in Burundi.

We saw Cassidy´s talent early and decided to support her already in 2018 when she was on 800 level. Now she sits on a 1920 FIDE elo and have gained more than 1000 points since then. Through our Chess 2 Change Tournament she meet the CEO of DGT Mr. Hans Pees. They teamed up for the Hand & Brain tournament and quickly found each other why Hans and DGT decided to sponsor her. Today we are very happy to announce that DGT have decided to increase their sponsorship which will make it possible for Elizabeth to go to a good school that will be able to nurture both her chess and academic skills. This kind of life changing changes through the help of chess, is really what Chess 2 Change is about and a big thankyou to DGT for joining our quest. Sky is the limit for Cassidy!

Team DGT, Elizabeth Cassidy & Hans Pees vs Team Bank of America, Genevieve Mashao & Sarathi Ray

Historic result at the African Juniors Chess Championships

Pontus — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 14:37:10 +0000

FM Jadon Simiyu and WFM Elizabeth Cassidy.

*HISTORIC PERFORMANCE FOR KENYA AT THE AFRICA JUNIOR CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP!*

Kenya has just registered its best-ever performance at the prestigious Africa Junior Chess Championship!

WFM Elizabeth Cassidy made history with Silver in the Girls’ Section — Kenya’s first-ever silver medal in that category. Entering as the 2nd-highest rated player, she finished strong with 7/9 points, gained 30 Elo points, and secured her 2nd WIM norm, moving closer to the WIM title.

FM Jadon Simiyu (2212) fought hard in a tough Open Section field to win Bronze, Kenya’s first Open medal in 36 years, since Juma Arogo’s win in Botswana in 1990! He finished with 5.5/9 points and bagged his 1st IM norm, a huge career milestone.

Congratulations, Jadon and Cassidy, we are very proud of you and the journey continues!

Jamie-Nicole Beukes Namibian Champion!

Pontus — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 14:12:47 +0000

JAMIE-NICOLE BEUKES CROWNED NAMIBIA OPEN WOMEN’S CHAMPION!

What a performance! Jamie-Nicole Beukes has been crowned the Namibia Open Women’s Section Champion, finishing the tournament with an outstanding 8.5 points out of 9 games!

Jamie’s phenomenal score is a testament to her consistency, determination, fighting spirit, and growing strength on the chessboard. Dropping just half a point across nine rounds is an exceptional achievement and one that deserves to be celebrated.

We are especially proud to see Jamie-Nicole achieve this milestone as an affiliate of Business Meets Chess & Kids. Her journey is a wonderful example of what can happen when talented young players are given opportunities, support, and a community that believes in their potential.

And there’s more to celebrate! Jamie will proudly represent Namibia at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan, taking her place among the country’s finest players on one of the biggest stages in international chess. From dominating the Namibia Open to earning the opportunity to represent her country internationally, Jamie’s journey continues to inspire.

Congratulations, Jamie Nicole Beukes!

Your hard work is paying off, And we will be cheering on you in Uzbekistan!

The journey continues.

FM Kennedy Shane!!

Pontus — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 17:26:24 +0000

The 17 year old Zambian chess talent Kennedy Shane has taken his game to a new level this summer. His bronze medal at the African Youth Chess Championships was the last decisive result that he needed to fulfill the conditions for the FIDE Master Title. This is a fantastic achievement and a testament to Shane’s dedication, passion, hard work, and continued growth in chess.

We are especially proud to highlight Kennedy as an affiliate of our Chess 2 Change program, a program committed to using chess as a vehicle for opportunity, development, and positive change. And to be honest, we did see it coming already in 2017…

GM Pontus Carlsson in Zambia with a very young Kennedy Shane in his hands

From the Business Meets Chess & Kids community to the wider chess world — congratulations, FM Kennedy Shane! Your journey is an inspiration, and we look forward to seeing what comes next!

Successful Chess 2 Change campaign!

Pontus — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 16:59:00 +0000

Our Chess 2 Change campaign on Gofundme was successful so we managed to raise our goal of 5000 USD in support of a group of talented, African children from humble backgrounds. The funds raised will help them forward both in life and in their chess career. We would like to thank all the donors and give an extra thankyou to Sarathi Ray from Bank of America and others who engaged and enrolled their companies matching programs. If your company has a matching program and you would like to support Business Meets Chess & Kids with a donation, then feel free to reach out to us on info@businessmeetschessandkids.com We will be very glad to hear from you.

If you missed the campaign, but still would like to support the kids with a donation, then that can be done here

Business Meets Chess & Kids in Bucharest

Pontus — Fri, 28 Aug 2026 16:35:18 +0000

GM Pontus Carlsson and Business Meets Chess & Kids was invited to speak at Chessfam´s panel talk conference in Bucharest. GM Pontus entered the stage together with IM Malcolm Pein, who is the founder of Chess in Schools and Communities and Kevin Högy who is the Sports Director of the German Chess Federation. Under the guidance by the host Fiona Steil Antoni the trio spoke for long about, how chess can be used as a tool for social change. GM Pontus and IM Malcolm Pein also shared some different tips about how to engage chess playing sport stars, actors and musicians in your chess events. The panel discussion finished with some Q&A where the audience had a chance to ask their own questions. A big thankyou to chessfam and Mr Dodgy for organizing this very interesting conference.

Fiona Steil Antoni, IM Malcolm Pein, GM Pontus Carlsson & Kevin Högy on the stage

IM Saad Elmi & FM Louis Kho Thwe struggles at Czech Open

Pontus — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 18:29:39 +0000

Neither IM Saad Elmi nor FM Louis Kho Thwe had their best tournament when they were playing Czech Open in Pardubice, Czech Republic. They both lost some rating points but they had a good time. GM Pontus Carlsson was happy to be able to visit them at the tournament and we are sure that they learned a lot of chess, and soon will be back, stronger than ever.

FM Havard Haug, FM Louis Kho Thwe, GM Pontus Carlsson and IM Saad Elmi

Jamie-Nicole, Jadon and Cassidy at the African individual Chess Championships

Pontus — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 18:16:38 +0000

Jamie Nicole Beukes from Namibia, Jadon Simiyu and Elizabeth Cassidy from Kenya who are all in our Chess 2 Change program managed to qualify for the African Individual Championships in Botswana even thou they are still barely in their teenage years. Jamie Nicole started strong with 2 out of 3 against very strong opposition but then she fell back in the field and ended up as number 35. Still she was able to bring home 29 new elo points back to Namibia. The reigning Kenyan Champion 13-year old Jadon Simiyu managed to beat his first ever IM when he won against IM Saad Belouadah in round 3, then he lost 3 games in a row against tough opposition before he was able to win two games and finish on 4,5 out of 9. That placed him as number 29 in Africa which is a fantastic achievement considering that he is only 13 years old.

Jamie Nicole Beukes

Jadon Simiyu

Elizabeth Cassidy also played her first African Championships on senior level. It could not be seen in the start since she started very well and was fighting in the top until the end, but 3 straight losses in the last three rounds destroyed her chances to get a medal. All three children returned safely home, filled with joy and experiences that will be very beneficial for their chess careers.

Elizabeth Cassidy

Nathaniel top 50 at World Cup

Pontus — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 17:31:14 +0000

10 year old Nathaniel Manyeki from Kenya scored 6 points out of 11 rounds at the FIDE World Cup under 12 held in Batumi Georgia. Nathaniel also had the chance to meet his coach GM Alexander Delchev in person. Nathaniel still has 2 years left in the category so we are sure that he will come back stronger next year.